BAY CITY — Temperatures in the single digits could not keep the Occupy the Tri movement from protesting in front of the federal courthouse in downtown Bay City.

“When people come out on a day like this when it’s cold, it shows that people care,” Bay City protester Myke Gonzalez said.

A group of about 10 gathered a little after 11 a.m. in front of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, 1000 Washington in Bay City. They are expecting between 30 and 40 protesters and plan to protest until 5 p.m.

“Our message is that the Citizens United ruling is an enormous threat to democracy,” said Jeff Liebmann, pastor at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Midland. “We completely support the movement to amend the constitution, to basically invalidate the ruling.”

Liebmann also said the group was protesting Public Act 4 of 2011, the emergency financial manager law Gov. Rick Snyder approved last March.

“The governor could just unilaterally pick anybody to come in and disincorporate your town, invalidate all the contracts the town has signed, eliminate all of your elected officials and is beholden to no one,” Liebmann said. “To give that person totalitarian powers, it’s anti-democratic, it’s anti-American.”

Liebmann said the goal was to raise awareness through protesting, so more people wake up and realize what is going on in the state.